Speech of HH Sri Datta Vijayananda Teertha Swamiji on day 3 of 5-day Discourse on Shatashloki Ramayana – May 20, 2020 – Mysore
Compiled by Jaya Akka Akkanapragada
Śrī ganeśāya namaha
Śrī sarasvatyé namaha
Śrī pādavallabha narasimha sarasvati
Śri guru dattātréyāya namaha
Anjanā nandanam vīram jānaki sōka nāśanam
Kapīśa makśa hantāram vandé lankā bhayankaram
The first verse of Srimad Valmiki Ramayana starts with the phrase tapas svādhyāya. This phrase appears in Bala Ramayana. When people start learning samskritam, they begin with this sloka. When children first learn to write, Sri Rama is first written, and then teaching begins. This is the tradition which is followed. Tapas svādhyāya also means may svādhyāya or self-study become tapas or penance for people. The Gayatri Mahamantra consists of 24 aksharās or letters, and Valmiki Maharshi has composed Ramayana with 24,000 verses.
In the Sundarakanda also, every verse begins either with sa or ta. There are many such extraordinary revelations in the Ramayana. Bala Ramayana also known as Sankshepa Ramayana comprises of 100 verses including Narada Maharshi’s upadeśa to Valmiki Maharshi, as well as the phala śruti (benefits of chanting these verses.) These 100 verses are also known as Narada Ramayana since it begins with Narada Maharshi’s upadeśa. Nama Ramayana has been composed in the form of a musical composition or keertana. We have discussed Bala Kanda and Ayodhya Kanda on the first two days.
Today we shall discuss Arańya Kanda which is the heart of Ramayana. After paying their respects at Atri Maharshi and Anasuya Mata’s cottage, Rama, Lakshmana and Sita proceeded into dandaka – dandakā pravivéśaha. Dandaka is in the South of India and is a forest filled with demons. It is therefore considered apavitra or impure and although it is by the river, many people are afraid to set foot in it. When Rama set foot in Dandaka forest, it became pure again and Sri Rama took his first step into South India. In South India, Sri Rama is greatly revered. Until this point, no king had dared to set foot in this forest. Rama could have gone to any forest – even in the Himalayas, but he chose this forest because he wanted to alleviate the suffering of the many Maharshis who lived here. His sankalpa was to rid the forest of the demons who were torturing the Maharshis. Rama also faced many difficulties in this forest. It was here that Sita Mata was kidnapped. It was a time of great sorrow for Rama. This is also where Sri Rama meets Jatayu.
Yesterday, we discussed some doubts in Ayodhya Kanda which were resolved with Guru’s grace. Questions will keep arising, but while trying to answer them, we must move forward. Only then will we progress spiritually and develop more devotion. Instead of suspecting or doubting, we must get our doubts clarified and try to have vision of Sri Rama. Yesterday, we discussed that Ayodhya Kanda is like the heart of Ramayana, because Rama had to go into exile. Everyone knows that Kaikeyi asked King Daśaratha for two boons. One boon was to banish Rama to the forest, and the second was to coronate Bharata as King. Daśaratha had promised her two boons a long time ago, which remembered and asked for now. Bound by dharma, Daśaratha had to fulfil his promise so that his word would not be untrue.
When Daśaratha was in a dilemma about what to do, Sri Rama himself consoled his father, and said “Even if father does not say anything, I shall go to the forest and fulfil his promise.” He vowed to make his father’s promise come true. King Daśaratha did not actually say anything, nor did his own mother. He held onto the words spoken by his step-mother because his father was angry and had turned his face away. Sri Rama took these words to be his father’s orders and left for the forest.
Many of you have asked a lot of questions. I decided to ask a question of myself as well. Rama nama smarańa – chanting Rama’s name removes all our sins, and the Shástras also mention that chanting Rama nama cleanses and purifies our mind. Everyone experiences this, and Anjaneya Swami epitomizes this. Our Gurudeva also leads us by His example of chanting Rama nama and its significance. Then, wouldn’t those who not only chant his divine name but are also with him from the time they wake up in the morning, and Kaikeyi who practically raised him – wouldn’t her mind be pure and cleansed? Kaikeyi saw Rama as Bharata. Both Bharata and Rama look very similar, except that Bharata is shorter by 2 inches. This is only to signify that there must be some difference. Sri Rama also had a kaustubha mani – a jewel which he wore on his chest, but this was not visible to others. But their external appearance, their gait, the way they spoke – everything was identical. When they were young, they were mistaken for twins. Kaikeyi was extremely fond of Sri Rama, and raised him as her own child. So why would Kaikeyi who loved Rama so dearly, suddenly turn against him? There were no differences between the mothers-in-law and the new daughters-in-law also since Sita, Urmila were all from the same kingdom and the same family. Ayodhya Kanda mentions the incident of how Mantara appears on the scene, and corrupts Kaikeyi’s mind.
Sri Viswanatha Satyanarayana in his Ramayana Kalpavruksham says something wonderful. No one knows when and from where Mantara came. She was just there as a maid for several years with Kaikeyi. It is said that the one who aids the expectant mother in childbirth becomes almost like a mother to her, and since Mantara took great care of her, Kaikeyi was unable to say no to this mother’s words. This is a new insight which he brings up in his book. Even then, the question arises of why Kaikeyi would listen to her, just because Mantara said such words. I felt that after Rama heard his Guru’s upadeśa, he found the kingdom and coronation and all the festivities very unappealing.
Rama had left very happily with Sage Viswamitra, and learnt several vidyas such as archery, who also blessed Rama with great strength and prowess, but there was no scope there for spiritual studies. Before this, Vasishta Maharshi’s upadeśa was still fresh in Sri Rama’s mind, but he had to leave with Sage Viswamitra to kill Tataka, and then he had to get married as well. Imagine what Rama must have experienced. He would have definitely wanted to leave for penance in the forests after Yoga Vasishtam. That is why I felt that at some point after returning, Sri Rama would have asked Kaikeyi to help him.
Sri Rama: Amma, I want to go and do tapas in the forest, but father wants me to become King. Can you somehow change his mind?
Kaikeyi: Son, at this last minute, what can be done? All the arrangements for coronation are underway.
Sri Rama: Amma, I don’t know what you will do. But please do something.
Kaikeyi: what can I do?
Sri Rama: You always jokingly remind father that he promised you two boons which he has not fulfilled yet. Use those boons as your weapon and send me to the forest. Make Bharata the crowned prince.
Kaikeyi: Do you think Bharata will agree?
Sri Rama: Bharata is not here now, otherwise he would not let me go. First you send me to the forest.
I wondered if Rama could have asked Kaikeyi only to do this for him. And in doing so, was she fulfilling his request. Otherwise, why would they mention that Saraswati Mata sat on Mantara’s tongue and made her say those words? Not everything is spelled out in the Ramayana, but why would Saraswati Mata, the Goddess of learning be mentioned otherwise? How else can we explain how a mother who loved him even more dearly than his own mother – Kausalya, turn on him so suddenly? Kausalya also says this. “You are always with Kaikeyi, and she could not even bear to be away from you for a second. What happened to Kaikeyi?”
Maybe Rama wanted to go alone, but since Sita Mata requested to come along, he could not say no to her, and had to take her along as well. Rama asked her “why do you want to face so many hardships? I will only be gone for 14 years, and then I shall return.” Sita Mata refused and insisted on going along. This question arose in my mind because there are three incidents. First, when Lakshmana curses Kaikeyi, Sri Rama chides him and says “it is very wrong to speak like this. You must never speak ill of her.
When Sage Vasishta also spoke ill of Kaikeyi, unable to say anything to the Guru, Rama heard those words with great difficulty. When Bharata came and spoke ill of Kaikeyi, Rama scolded him and said “I will not tolerate if you speak ill of her. Swear on me. She is my mother, not your mother. If you speak ill of her, you are speaking ill of me as well. Swear on me, that you will never speak like this again.” Unable to go back to Ayodhya, Bharata goes to Nandigrama. On one occasion, when Sita and Lakshmana were unable to understand, Rama may have spoken against Daśaratha, but not once did he say anything against Kaikeyi who was responsible for his exile.
When they returned to Ayodhya, he got down from the Puśpaka vimāna, and prostrated at her feet. When Bharata came to the forest, Rama enquired “how is my mother Kaikeyi doing?” Analyzing all these incidents, some of which are family secrets, I wonder if Sri Rama did not stage a drama to be able to go to the forest. Since the Kingdom would suffer if there is no king, he asked Bharata to be coronated. You may argue that when Sri Rama ascended the throne, Kaikeyi was fuming and looked very angry. Perhaps she was just pretending. Maybe she was a kārańa janma – a being who was born to help fulfil Rama’s wish to live in the forest. These thoughts just came to my mind.
As we remembered this morning, Ayodhya Kanda is very special to Datta devotees because Rama went to see Atri Maharshi and Anasuya Mata – Dattatreya Swami’s parents. They are very old now. When they saw Rama, Lakshmana and Sita coming, they knew some special person is coming. When they saw Sri Rama, they saw 3 faces of Sri Rama, holding the Kodanda bow in his left hand and a quiver on his right side. The quiver and bow looked like two faces, and now Sri Rama looked like Dattatreya with 3 faces. This is mentioned in Ayodhya Kanda. They were missing Dattatreya Swami.
We all know He is an Avadhoota and does not like staying in one place. He likes roaming and visiting devotees who are in trouble and clearing their problems. That is His nature, you cannot stop him. When Anasuya Mata tried to stop Him, Dattatreya Swami said “O Mother, this is just a body. Why are you having love for this body? See my atma. See the inner light – jyoti. Love my inner light, not this body.” We know this, and we have seen it in the Datta Darsanam movie, and read it in the wonderful book by pujya Sri Swamiji as well.
When they saw Sri Rama (with 3 faces), they were missing Dattatreya Swami. Dūrvāsa Maharshi is also one amongst their children. Durvasa maharshi left to do penance, and Chandra (the moon) is also there (in the sky) and not reachable. His duty is to make everyone happy. Atri and Anasuya Mata were seeing Chandra, but sometimes he would appear, and sometimes he would not be there. They were missing Dattatreya Swami, because at least once in a while they could see Durvasa and Chandra, but not Dattatreya Swami. He is always there, but they wanted to see Him physically. When Rama came to their ashrama, they thought Dattatreya Swami was walking toward them, and they felt very happy. This is not mentioned in Ramayana, but it is said that they had seen Sri Rama as if with three faces. That is why Sri Rama is said to remove great sorrow. This is why Ayodhya Kanda is very dear to Datta devotees.
Today we are going to chant Arańya Kanda, and after that, if we have time, we can discuss about Aranya Kanda or any questions.
Aranya Kanda is very important in everybody’s lives. These 7 verses hold great significance. The number 7 is very significant. This is known as sapta sarga – with 7 verses. Ramayana is known as sapta kāndi – comprising of 7 Kandas. Sapta also holds great significance in Sundara Kanda parayana. In the bhajan ‘edukondala sami govinda’ (Bhajan ID 918), the significance of 7 – edu in telugu, is explained. The 7th year, 14th year, śanti for the 70th year of one’s life are also detailed. Aranya Kanda signifies that phase in our lives when we are trying to settle into a job, and keep wondering if we should switch and do something else. Trusting someone’s advice and putting money into a business and being cheated – all this happens in our life.
Then in Kishkinda Kanda, random strangers come into our lives. Then in Sundara Kanda, with the grace of Sadguru, this is a time when we receive a lot of help. Just as Anjaneya Swami went to Lanka in search of Sita Mata, this is a great time for sadhana around the age of 50-60 years. Then comes Yuddha Kanda where one has to fight with children (who don’t listen) and society and grapple with many issues. Then comes Uttara Kanda which signifies that we must do sadhana for Moksha. Even at this point, if one does not strive for liberation, then what is the point? Uttara Kanda is very different from the others. Even when we hear Sundara Kanda, it sounds strange. Doubts such as ‘why isn’t it called Lanka kanda, Hanumad Kanda or hanumad Vijaya Kanda’ were raised by many scholars. What is Uttara? Utu-tara means to strive higher and move upwards. Everyone must do sadhana for moksha. The secret lies in the names of each Kanda.
Aranya Kanda outlines how the difficulties which we are unaware of, and which we never expected, can be solved. Corona is a great difficulty which we all face today. Let us pray that this difficulty disappears and all of us are healthy as we chant this Kanda.
Dhyana slokas and Aranya Kanda parayana verses 41-57.
Jai bolo Sri Ramachandra Prabhu ki Jai!
Jai bolo Pavana Suta Hanuman ki Jai!
With these verses Aranya Kanda concludes.
Many important incidents are discussed in this Kanda. While living in the forest, Sri Rama has the darshan of many great Maharshis. Sri Rama visits all the kshetras starting from Maharashtra, in South India. These include Chitrakoota, Janasthana and Panchavati kshetra near Nasik. When Sri Rama meets many great Rishis, he also slays several demons starting with Virādha. Here we also clearly see how much Sri Rama loves Sita Mata. When she is kidnapped, Lakshmana consoles him saying “Brother, this is not the time to grieve. We must find a way to kill the demon and free Sita Mata.”
He meets many great Sages including Agastya Maharshi and his brother – Suteekshna Maharshi and Sudarshana Maharshi. There is one Maharshi who never touches anyone and who is not touched by others because he has a skin disease. He suffers greatly because of this disease and imposes self-quarantine. This is not mentioned explicitly but must be inferred. Such a Maharshi, upon seeing Sri Rama goes running towards him and embraces him. Lakshmana’s expression reflects that he does not like this act by the Maharshi, but Rama very affectionately greets the old Maharshi and enquires about his life. The Maharshi says Rama must visit again so that he can embrace him again.
Many people incorrectly say that idol worship – vigraha ārādhana is a recent practice. This is very wrong. As Sri Rama went around Agastya Maharshi’s ashrama, there were a series of temples and idols. The devata mandiras – sanctums for each deity – Gayatri Mata, Saraswati Mata, Subrahmanya Swami, Śivalinga, Lakshmi Narasimha Swami, and the deities around them are described in great detail. Just like Agastya Maharshi, Appaji is consecrating idols and temples everywhere because we see Agastya Maharshi’s family traditions very clearly in Swamiji.
Agastya muni sankrāntā nānā vaidya durantaram
Vigraha Aradhana has been around since Vedic times to make it easier for everyone to reach God. Nirguńa Parabrahma – the formless Parabrahma is not within reach of everyone. Therefore in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna Paramatma says worship of Saguńa Prabrahma (with form) has been given as a blessing to devotees.
avyaktā hi gatir duhkham dehavadbhir avāpyate – Bhagavad Gita 12.5
Every day, cleansing the mūrtis which we have received, chanting the mantras which we know while performing abhishekam and alankārana (decorating), and spending 30-60 minutes in the puja mandiram every morning would bestow peace of mind. We do not perform puja to ask for desires, but to cleanse our minds and be at peace. Just as we go to the Cinema or for a picnic to relax our minds, performing puja every day will also be very calming and relaxing. Spending time in the spiritual path is very beneficial. There are many who cannot afford to have a separate puja room at home. They have an altar in their kitchen itself. That itself is your puja room. Spend some time sitting there and chant every day.
Agastya Maharshi secretly blesses Sri Rama with a bow and arrows because he knows that without these, it is not possible for Rama to defeat Ravana. Agastya Maharshi in the course of the conversation has a sankalpa in his mind. We also see the incident of Rama himself meeting Jatayu in Panchavati. Jatayu is a very old bird and when he sees Rama, he asks “You are going alone. May I also go with you?” Rama is very surprised to see a talking bird. Jatayu then explains that birds also speak. He says he is an old friend of Daśaratha, and they would meet once in a while. Jatayu who is a very very old Eagle asks if he can also come along and be of service. Rama replies “now with father gone, if you are by my side, I will forget the sorrow of not having my father, and think that he is with me again.” Jatayu would keep visiting Rama from time to time in the forest.
The strange incident with Shurpanakha also occurs in the Janasthana kshetra of the forest. When she expresses a desire to marry Lakshmana, we see how Rama negotiates. We have to understand Shurpanakha’s story in detail. She does not like her brother Ravana and is extremely angry with him. The answer for why she hates her brother is found in Uttara Kanda. Shurpanakha’s husband – Vidyut Jihva was killed by Ravana in a drunken stupor during a battle. He did not realise that he was stabbing his own brother-in-law. Shurpanakha held onto that anger and was looking for the right moment to take revenge on Ravana. There was no one who could kill Ravana, but as she looked around she felt Rama would be the right person. She purposely instigated them. She observed how much Rama loved Sita, and vice versa. When she saw Lakshmana, she saw him strictly observing tapas, and felt they would be the right people to kill Ravana. She knew their story, and knew they were not just in the forest to perform tapas. In those days, they would google the history of each character, so she knew Rama had killed Tataka, Subahu and beaten up Marichi.
Being a kāmarūpińi, she could take on any form. She approached Rama and asked him to marry her. Rama said “as you can see, I am already married. Why don’t you go ask Lakshmana, he is still a bachelor.” Rama said it to indicate that Lakshmana was single and alone in the forest. When Lakshmana protested, Rama signaled in code language (as they do on the battlefield) that she was a demoness. Lakshmana then chopped off her ears and nose. We can say that Shurpanakha purposely had her ears and nose chopped off. She went crying to her cousins – Kharadushana and Trijarasa, and narrated all that had happened. She told them to go avenge her. They sent 14,000 demons to finish off Rama and Lakshmana.
Why would anyone send 14,000 demons to kill 2 people? From this, we should understand how Shurpaakha and Kharadushana viewed Rama’s prowess. We discussed in the Guru Gita saptaham about how Rama asked Lakshmana and Sita Mata to quarantine themselves in a cave when the 14,000 demons came.
Rama used a Sammoha astram – a weapon which made each demon appear as Rama to the other. They all killed each other thinking they found Rama. The way Rama fought in the battle, showed his courage and valour. It is not for nothing that Sri Krishna said ‘amongst warriors I am Rama’ in Vibhuti Yoga. He finished off the 14,000 demons in one muhurta kala, and announced to Lakshmana and Sita that they could come out of the cave. A battle which should have gone on for a few days was wrapped up in no time at all. That is when Shurpanakha decided that Rama was the one who could kill Ravana.
Kharadushana and the other demons were constantly troubling the Rishis who were performing penance and destroying the forest. Rama sent word to them many times to be careful and not excessively mine the earth or fell trees. But they did not heed his word. They kept their land – Lanka very beautiful, and came here to exploit and destroy the forest. Lanka is not the country we see now. It used to be even further and larger. The Lanka we see now can be considered its gate. They came from there and were destroying the forest. One amongst the demons – Akampana (meaning one who is fearless) dressed in a saree and escaped from there because he knew Rama would not hurt a woman. He ran from there like a coward, and went and told Ravana everything that happened. Shurpanakha heaped abuses on Ravana to instigate him. He sent for Marichi (Marichi means peppercorn) Just like peppercorn, Marichi’s words were sharp, but very beneficial. Only fools would not realize the value of his words. In the same way, peppercorn ihas many health benefits, but many people not realizing their benefits, do not eat them. One must eat peppercorns and curry leaves. Don’t just set them aside on your plate.
There is a subhāśita that just like people do not like peppercorn, Ravana (who was of poor intellect) did not heed Marichi’s words. Marichi told Ravana that instigating Rama and making an enemy of him would not be good for Ravana. Marichi mentioned many things, and even said “What good is a minister who does not caution? And what good is a king who does not heed advice?” When Ravana insisted that if Marichi did not help him, he would be killed, Marichi decided it would be better to die at Rama’s hands.
When Tataka was killed, Subahu and Marichi went to take revenge. Rama killed Subahu but spared Marichi (knowing that the story would have to move ahead in the future). Marichi had gone twice before in various disguises, but even on those occasions, Sri Rama did not kill him. There was some reason why Marichi was being spared because once an arrow leaves Rama’s bow, it has to kill the enemy. Rama must have instructed the arrow not to kill, but to beat and drive Marichi away. Ever since Marichi survived, he was scared even if someone uttered ‘Ra’, and thought Rama was coming. He was totally immersed in Rama nama japam. Knowing Rama’s powers, he pleaded with Ravana not to instigate a war, but when Ravana threatened to kill him, he felt it was better to die at Rama’s hands. He then appeared as the golden deer which Sita Mata desired.
Lakshmana told Sri Rama that it was an illusory animal – māyā mrugam. Rama said “I know, but your sister-in-law wants the deer. How can I deny her request? I shall either capture it alive or kill it and bring it back.” Saying these words, Sri Rama left. When Lakshmana went back, Sita Mata heaped several accusations on him, which she later regretted. Sita Mata herself said that if a Maha Yogi is insulted and such words are used against him, one is bound to suffer such a fate.
We must never speak insultingly or accuse or find fault with others without knowing facts. After Lakshmana leaves, Ravana appears in the form of a mendicant. Sita Mata felt bad for the mendicant thinking who would give him bhiksha in this forest. When she went inside to bring food, Adhyātma Ramayana says that she entered into the agni, and sent out a māya Sita in her place with the bhiksha. Adhyātma Ramayana says that Sita Mata is so pure that it is impossible for someone like Ravana to touch her. But this is not mentioned in Ramayana, because then it would change the flavor of the overall story. For us to be able to read it again and again, we must experience emotions such as karuna or compassion. Otherwise, we would think of it as a Purana and just revere the text.
To be continued.